


Old Cats Work Wonders

by KaminariDenki



Series: Ryoma Hoshi's Cats [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Cats, Gen, Ryoma Hoshi Deserves Better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-07-03 13:51:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15820164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaminariDenki/pseuds/KaminariDenki
Summary: Ryoma, while out for a walk, runs into a pet store after being caught in the rain and comes home with three old cats.





	Old Cats Work Wonders

It was raining.

Ryoma hummed to himself, pulling his hat further over his forehead, wishing he had brought an umbrella. His shoes squeaked against the wet cement, rain pattered his old leather jacket. He stole a glance at the sky, where dark, threatening clouds rolled overhead, full and bulging with promises of a downpour. Thunder crackled in the distance, lightning flashing and encasing the area in a bright light.

The rain grew harsh and Ryoma cursed under his breath as the heavy winds tugged at his short frame. He sighed and looked around for a building he could wait the storm out in. The nearest was a plain-looking pet store, the window home to plastic transparent cages filled with sad, small dogs and overly excited puppies that yippee and barked when he stumbled over to the entrance.

Ryoma never liked dogs. They were a hassle to take care of and needed daily exercise and were too rowdy for his tastes.

Pulling open the door, he walked inside, taking note that the sign hanging from the handle said it was still open. The store was mostly empty, aside from a small old lady who was sitting at a cash register, regarding him with a warm smile and an amused greeting. His nose wrinkled slightly at the musky animal smell.

Although he had planned to just stand around and watch as the rain eased away, he couldn't help but venture deeper into the shop, his interest piqued by the wire cages tucked into a far corner where small, multicoloured and furry bodies lay, the sign hanging above the confines telling him they were cats.

At the bottom of the rows of cages were kittens, and they mewled loudly at pawed at him as he approached, their tiny bodies wobbling uneasily as they crowded into one area, eager to scent him and play with him.

Ryoma stuck a finger through the mesh and patted a tiny calico kitten on the head, smiling lightly when it bit at his intruding digit. The claws of a larger black kitten reached out and dug into his knuckles, it's paws raking tiny scores along his skin. He chuckled and pulled his finger away. More paws stuck out of the mesh, incessant and needy, their mouths opening wide as they wailed and begged for him to return the finger back.

Instead, his gaze travelled upwards, where it was more quiet. He couldn't reach, but he was curious as to what was up there.

The owner of the shop, the little old lady, chuckled and brought over a stepladder for him to climb on. As he stepped up, she spoke, her voice worn and gentle, "Up there are the older cats. No one wants to buy them, we may have to put 'em down if no one does."

In the upper cages were three cats, all of them curled into balls. One was a brown tabby cat with scrappy, ragged fur and many nicks in its ear. The one beside it was greyish blue with fur missing in a few places. It's body was thin and the food dish nearby was empty, indicating it hadn't eaten in a while. Finally, the last elder cat was fluffy and white, it's body big and stomach fat. It's whiskers were frizzled and bare, only a few remaining on the feline's face.

All of the animals had greying muzzles and tired, depressed eyes. They looked miserable and Ryoma knew right then and there he wanted to take them all home.

He pointed at them, turning to look at the woman, "I'll take the three of them home."

Her eyebrows raised but she smiled and nodded, "It's about time they finally found somewhere to stay. I'll go cat a carrier so you can take 'em." She walked off, quickly returning with a big cat carrier. She opened the kennels and with Ryoma's help, directed the old cats inside. They meowed and protested, but settled down onto the bed tucked inside.

After paying for the new pets and other supplies, he left, arms packed. The rain had stopped, lowering to a slight drizzle of mist that covered his face with moisture. He walked home, thanking whatever gods were out there that he hadn't walked far from his house.

He arrived at the run down apartment, his limbs weak and trembling from the weight they had been carrying. He fumbled around for the room key and unlocked the door, placing the carrier down as light as possible. He covered it with a blanket and slipped his jacket and hat off, throwing them into a clothes hamper. He changed out his shirt and pants and threw the rest of his soaked garments into the basket. He wandered back to where he left the items and began to put the things he had bought away.

He placed a few cat beds around the house, one in the living room, right beside the couch, another at the foot of his bed and the last one beside the dining table, near the kitchen, tucked into a corner where the cabinets met the wall. Ryoma put cans of wet food into the fridge and hid the cat treats in one of the higher cupboards. He scattered a few toys around the living room floor, then headed back to where his new companions were waiting.

Ryoma carefully lifted the blanket, slowly opening the carrier's door. The felines cautiously stepped out, glancing around. Ryoma touched one gently with his palm, running it alone it's back. It meowed and butted his knee. He stood up and headed over to the couch, settling onto the seat. The television was playing some cheesy slice-of-life movie, but his eyes were on the cats, which had followed him.

He lifted each of them onto the couch, his heart warming at the thought of them already trusting him. Ryoma sat as still as possible as they curled around him, the tabby purring as it laid down in his lap.

"I should probably name you guys," he mumbled, thinking. He brushed his hand along the tabby's fur, muttering, "Mayu." he scratched the white cat's chin, "Fuyuko." He smoothed the fur alone the Russian blue cat's head, "Yoshi."

Two females and one male. They had been living unhappy lives, confined to cages where they watched younger cats being taken and bought, all hope for a better life gone. But Ryoma knew what it felt like to be alone, to have no one understand. He had also felt lost and sad and him adopting the cats was going to work wonders for both parties, for Ryoma, Yoshi, Mayu and Fuyuko were all in the same pitiful boat of self-loathing and loneliness.

It felt good to have a companion (or three) to help ease unsettling thoughts, Ryoma mused as he itched a spot around Mayu's ear and stroked Yoshi's back. It felt good to be important to someone's life, to be depended on. Yeah. He didn't regret walking through the rain. It may have left his mood sour and his clothes sticking uncomfortably against his body, but he came home with a lighter mind and three new friends. Now he had something to look forward to in the morning. He had something to keep his mind off the fact that there was nothing to live for, since now, these old cats needed love and care and attention.

Which, he was happy to give.


End file.
